I sometimes cringe at how much merch is circulated around the internet with Mother of Dragons slapped on it.
Ever since I first read book one about five years ago, I had an envious love for Daenerys.
But I am defending one of the greatest female character evolutions in the show.
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Female sexuality is a learning process and can be on our terms.
There is a lot of sexual violence onGame of Thrones.
Her sexual relationship with Khal Dorgo is an incredibly telling shift in her sexual empowerment.
This isnt to say that their behavior and abuse toward her is excused, because its not.
And as a survivor of sexual assault, I was drawn to her methods of healing.
Women are displaced physically and socially, and unfortunately, we still have to prove our worth.
As a child, she moved from city to city seeking refuge.
As a teenager, she was bought and sold, and traveled through unfamiliar and hostile lands.
She then wandered, near death, in search of refuge wherever possible.
Read the books if you want more clarification or to just work on your literacy.
Danys multiple displacements are a tangible showcase of the emotional trials women endure in all aspects of their lives.
Sometimes women who have experienced trauma and abuse are encouraged to identify with their suffering.
The label of survivor is a powerful one, but sometimes a limited one.
But limiting her character as just a survivor of pain does her a disservice.
Or even worse, a basic white girls dream.
Danys pain is abundant and diverse.
The term survivor now holds an entirely new and dichotomous meaning to me.
Many famous women in film and television are critiqued or even praised in some form of victimhood.
When women get too powerful, they are criticized, dissected, and repressed.
We have a powerful leading woman who deserves so much more, especially in her last few episodes.
Heres hoping George R. R. Martin finishes the books and Dany gets the justice she deserves.
